Deborah Delmer, Ph.D.

Dr. Deborah Delmer is professor emeritus of biology, University of California, Davis. Delmer received her bachelor’s degree with honors in bacteriology in 1963 from Indiana University and her doctorate degree in cell biology in 1968 from the University of California, San Diego. She has held faculty positions at Michigan State University, The Hebrew University and the University of California, Davis. In 2004, she received from the American Chemical Society the Anselme Payen Award in recognition of excellence in the science and chemical technology of cellulose.

Delmer also served as president of the American Society of Plant Biologists and currently helps to lead the society in a major fund-raising drive. In 2004 she was elected to membership in the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) where she has served on selection committees for a number of awards and has been involved in both the writing and reviewing of NAS reports relating to agriculture. From 2002 to 2007, she served as associate director for food security for the Rockefeller Foundation, where she was involved with grant making and policy relating to the role of biotechnology in developing world agriculture. She currently serves on the board of directors of The American Chestnut Foundation and as a member of the Drought Research Council hosted by Corteva Agriscience. A member of the board of directors of FFAR since its inception, Delmer applies her varied and substantial scientific expertise through service on its Scientific Program Committee.